Stand Behind Me
by Mona
Summary: Jasmine gets a visit from an old friend. Meanwhile, Mozenrath's come up with a new scheme to take over the Seven Deserts. Complete as of July 5, 2003.
1. Prologue

"Stand Behind Me"  
  
Disclaimer: The characters of Aladdin are copyright Disney and used without permission but with respect. All original characters are copyright the author.   
  
Author's Note: Yes, I acknowledge Haywood is an English name and seems out of place in the setting, but it was necessary. All my other original characters will have regular, nonanachronistic names.   
  
Morning had risen in the city-state of Agrabah. The sun was shining brightly while the central marketplace was abuzz with activity. Customers flitted between the myriad stands, purchasing various wares.   
  
A figure threaded through the aisles. His clothes were little more than rags, the leather sandals on his feet worn out. He picked up the pace, approaching what dominated Agrabah's skyline -- the palace.   
  
Razoul, Captain of the Royal Guard, blocked the entrance. "Halt! What are you doing here, peasant?"   
  
"Peasant?" repeated the stranger. "How dare you, Razoul! Don't you recognize me?"   
  
"How do you know my name?" asked the surly guard.   
  
"I know this sounds crazy, but I'm Prince Haywood of Tabat, and I demand to confer with Princess Jasmine."   
  
Howling laughter. "If you're the prince, I'm King Mahmood of Quarkistan!" He caught a hold of himself. "Prince Haywood died a long time ago!"   
  
"But Razoul!" protested Hakim. "They never found the body!" He does look like him, though it's hard to tell with all that dirt.   
  
"What's going on here?" asked Aladdin, entering.   
  
"This beggar wants to see the princess," snapped Razoul.   
  
"Well, Jasmine's kind of busy, but I think we can squeeze you in." Aladdin took the visitor's arm.   
  
"Thanks. Razoul can be such a brick wall at times."   
  
"Goes without saying...have you been here before?"   
  
"Sure, plenty of times." The twosome stopped in a foyer. A washbasin was on a pedestal, near the door. "Mind if I use this?"   
  
"Go ahead." Aladdin gave a cursory glance over the stranger's clothes -- the remains of a red silk robe. The thread was a bright yellow. Strange, he thought. Since when does a peasant wear gold thread and silk?   
  
Jasmine came in. "I need some help with this scrollwork--"   
  
"Jazzy!" cried the stranger. "You're lovely as ever. You must be time-descended!"   
  
The princess dropped her scroll. "Haywood? Is that you?"   
  
"I look like something Rajah dragged in, but yes."   
  
Jasmine hugged him. "I thought you were dead. All that for the Marble Lotus--"   
  
"I found it." Haywood reached into a pocket of the tattered robe and drew out a flower-shaped ornament. The petals were white marble, the anthers were gold, and the leaves were formed from pieces of gleaming green jade. "Only it wasn't a lotus blossom. It was a jasmine."   
  
"It's beautiful, but I can't accept it."   
  
"Why not?"   
  
"I'm already married."   
  
"But you said those other guys were nothing but overfed and overpampered peacocks!"   
  
"It wasn't to a prince. Father changed the laws. Haywood, this is Aladdin, the love of my life.   
  
Aladdin blushed slightly. "We've met."   
  
The flower clattered to the floor, miraculously staying in one piece. "I'm sorry. I didn't realize--"   
  
"You had no way of knowing." Jasmine picked up the flower and handed it back. "You'll find somebody else. There are probably a hundred other princesses out there who would love to have this."   
  
"I understand." The voice was hurt, bordering on the edge of a whine. Aladdin could see the unspoken question on the prince's face: Why did you choose this commoner over me?   
  
"I'm still your friend," Jasmine reassured. "Why don't you join us for lunch? I'm sure Father will be thrilled to have you over."   
  
"Your father! I forgot!" Haywood looked embarrassed. "I can't show up looking like this!"   
  
"Just borrow some clothes from Aladdin."   
  
"He and I aren't exactly the same size," Aladdin said sourly. Haywood was heavier and shorter than the lean, muscular adventurer.   
  
Jasmine turned to leave. "I'll just get the Royal Tailor."   
  
***********************************************  
  
In the palace courtyard, Genie had zapped up a board game. He watched a magic carpet pull three cards out of an envelope. "It WAS Professor Plum in the Library with the Knife?!" He threw his cards down in disgust. "Lucky guess!"   
  
"Beaten by a rug?" came a loud voice. A red parrot landed on the board. "What does that say about your deductive reasoning?"   
  
"Iago?" asked the Genie. "What are you doing here?"   
  
"Cassim's making a pilgrimage to the Holy Land, so I decided to drop in."   
  
"I thought he was visiting his friend in Greece."   
  
"Well, that's his Holy Land. It's where the legend of the Hand of Midas originated. He may have tossed that thing, but he's still pretty hung up on the legend itself. Go fig. Where's the monkey?"   
  
Genie looked around. "Where is Abu anyway?"   
  
Meanwhile, Aladdin and Jasmine were on one of the palace's many balconies.   
  
Aladdin's curiosity got the better of him. "Who was that?"   
  
"Haywood, Prince of Tabat."   
  
"Another one of your previous suitors? We've been married three months. You think they'd take the hint."   
  
Jasmine smiled a little. "What about YOUR female admirers?"   
  
"Not to mention the fanfemmes," Aladdin joked. His wife punched him playfully. "Ouch!"   
  
"Haywood was different. He never treated me like a trophy."   
  
"Neither did I!"   
  
"I know that tone in your voice, Aladdin. You're jealous."   
  
"Jealous? Of that arrogant...OK. I'm a little jealous."   
  
"You've got no reason to be. I never felt anything romantic toward Haywood. He was just a friend. A good friend. Remember Prince Wazoo?"   
  
"How could I forget? He's the worst snob this side of the Persian Gulf!"   
  
"Haywood used to imitate him. Even in his youth, Wazoo was afraid of rats."   
  
******************************************  
  
(Flashback)   
  
A young Prince Haywood leaped onto a mahogany table. "A rat! Eeek! I absolutely cannot stand those filthy, miserable things! Wait. It's just a cloud of dust." He wrinkled his nose in mockery of his fellow prince. "What slipshod housekeeping. Sweep it up immediately!"   
  
Nine year old Jasmine howled with laughter. "Stop it, Woody! I'll never be able to look at him with a straight face again!" The prince now had a rather sheepish and guilty look on his face. "Who's that?"   
  
Jasmine's mother, Queen Lazilia, gave an amused smirk. "That's a smart little prince who's just been caught in the act."   
  
The Sultan was in the doorway, glaring.   
  
****************************************  
  
"You've never told me about your mother," commented Aladdin.   
  
"She died when I was eleven."   
  
"I'm sorry."   
  
"It's all right. We all have to go...someday." Jasmine shook her head. "I really don't know One morning she got sick. Her fever went down, but she developed this headache that wouldn't go away. She also started to get weaker and more fatigued. The last week I couldn't even bear to look at her. Father had every physician from here to Odiferous, but they never found out what was wrong with her."   
  
"How did your father take it?"   
  
"He took it a lot worse than I did."   
  
"I'll bet. What was she like?"   
  
"Her name was Lazilia."   
  
"Pretty."   
  
"Wore her nickname like a badge of honor: Mrs. Sultan. Ambassadors would joke: 'Which one's in charge here'?" Once Father had the flu, and she nursed him...while controlling Agrabah at the same time. Even wore Father's turban."   
  
"Isn't the Royal Vizier supposed to run the place when the sultan's down?"   
  
"Well, Father hadn't appointed Jafar yet, and the previous vizier had quit in disgust."   
  
"Guess the apple didn't fall far from the tree. How'd they meet?"   
  
"The story goes that they met at a party, and Father spilled guava juice on Mother. He was red-faced and flustered and apologizing while trying to clean it off. She supposedly kissed him and announced that she had found a husband." Jasmine breathed a sigh of relief. "It's been a long time since I've talked about my mother. Father doesn't like to bring her up. He feels it was his fault he couldn't save her."   
  
"A sultan can change laws, but he can't stop someone from dying," Aladdin asserted. "Nobody can defeat death."   
  
"That's what I've been trying to tell him, but he can be so stubborn when he wants to be. And he says I got that from Mother! Oh, the day after Mother died, Haywood came over from Tabat and refused to go home until I was at peace again. He wouldn't leave my side. The first few days, I clung to him. I even cried on his shoulder, if you can believe that."   
  
"Sounds like a nice guy. Maybe I misjudged him. Why did you think he was dead?"   
  
"Four years after Mother died, Haywood wrote in a letter that he was going to find the Marble Lotus, which some say has weird powers. Anyway, he left for the Dark Isles. Weeks later, his captain -- Kadir -- came back to Tabat, with the news that their party had been attacked. Everyone thought Haywood was dead."   
  
"How'd you react to it?"   
  
"I was angry. It felt like the important people in my life were being taken from me. Father and I got into arguments, which we'd settle almost as fast as we started. The hole had I felt when Mother had died seemed to expand. Then all these suitors were knocking on the door. Princes who had visited the palace before and I had immediately disliked. Even the ones Haywood used to imitate. I finally got sick of it and climbed the palace wall. Then I met you. The hole filled. I finally felt complete--"   
  
There was a crash. Abu ran onto the balcony, being chased by a flustered-looking Haywood -- who in turn being chased by the Royal Tailor, who was trying to sew the seams on the new robes. Upon a closer look, the lovers could see the stone flower in Abu's paw.   
  
"What's all the commotion in here?" The Sultan entered.   
  
Abu stopped dead in his tracks and hid the flower behind his back, which Haywood snatched.   
  
The Sultan glanced at Aladdin and Jasmine, then Abu, then the prince. "The world must be flat."   
  
TBC 


	2. Episode

"Master!" A deformed eel flew through the stone halls of his boss' citadel. "Breakfast!" Balancing a tray containing a goblet of water, bread, and fruit; Xerxes entered a bedroom.   
  
"More like lunch," mumbled Mozenrath from under the covers. He pulled a pillow over his head and squeezed his eyes shut. No luck. The sorcerer snatched the tray from his sidekick and set it on the ebony nightstand. He was dressed in blue and black striped silk pajamas and a nightcap in lieu of his usual robes and turban. The gauntlet was, as usual, on his right arm. "Those darn jackals! Howling outside my window when I'm trying to sleep. Xerxes, I told you to make them stop!"   
  
"Already tried, already tried!"   
  
"By the time you did, I couldn't sleep!"   
  
Well, is that my fault? thought the eel.   
  
Mozenrath yawned. "Insomnia takes all the fun out of conquering."   
  
******************************************************************  
  
"I've never met this Aladdin," Estrella said to Sadira. The two sorceresses were seated in the Desert Delight Cafe, a forerunner to future coffee shops. "But I've heard about him. I say give him up. He's probably not worth your tears. You're a decent-looking girl, Sad. Charm yourself another guy."   
  
"That's what Selene keeps telling me," commented Sadira.   
  
"I hear a lot have it out with this Aladdin character. Even my ex. I should probably thank 'Al' for that."   
  
"Your ex?"   
  
"Jafar," Estrella sighed. "Promised me the moon, but the day he got that stupid commission as Royal Vizier, he just stopped paying attention to me. I was nothing to him. Typical of the breed. Men. They make me sick, they make me tired."   
  
"How do I get a guy to like me, though?"  
  
"That's easy. You FORCE them to like you."   
  
"My magic spells never seem to work long enough to be permanent. Besides, am I just going to run into a guy?"   
  
"Who knows?"   
  
**************************************************  
  
At the palace, lunch was under way.   
  
"Contrary to popular belief," Haywood moved to seat himself, not noticing a certain monkey had pulled away the silk cushion. He landed on the floor. Everyone laughed. The prince gave an embarrassed smile. "Not dead. I just wanted to see my friend before going home."   
  
"There's something you should know," began the elderly Sultan. "Sultan Adar passed on a few days ago."   
  
"Father..." squeaked the prince. "Is dead?"   
  
"Heart gave out." The sultan removed his turban. "I'll miss him terribly."   
  
"If this is a joke, it's not the least bit funny!"   
  
"I would not joke about something this serious," replied the sultan.   
  
Genie morphed into Sigmond Freud. "Denial is the first reaction to the death of a loved one, thus is perfectly normal. Now tell me about your mother."   
  
"You're an only child, right?" piped up Iago.   
  
"Yes, but I fail to see what that has to with anything," Haywood answered.   
  
"It means the kingdom is yours! I'd be celebrating!"   
  
"Iago!" Jasmine scolded.   
  
"What?" the parrot asked, trying to sound innocent.   
  
"I'm sorry," Aladdin whispered sincerely.   
  
"Sure you are," muttered Haywood.   
  
Abu brought his paw on a papaya, making the juice spurt from the fruit and hit the prince in the eye.   
  
"Really," Aladdin added. "Where is your kingdom, anyway? I've never been there."   
  
Haywood took a map from his robe pocket and opened it on the table. "It's been a while since I've seen it, but it should still be there." He pointed to a dot on the map. "There's the capital, Nadidah."   
  
Aladdin ran a finger along the edge of a dark shape bordering Tabat. "That's the Land of the Black Sands."   
  
"Really?" replied the prince. "I never noticed."   
  
"That's Mozenrath's domain," informed Aladdin.   
  
Haywood looked confused. "Mozen-who?"   
  
"Never mind."   
  
Jasmine glanced over the map. "Haywood? Could Aladdin and I accompany you back to Tabat? Help you get settled in? You stood behind me when Mother died and it's all I can do to return the favor."   
  
"Sure. Knock yourself out." Haywood glanced at Carpet. "What a lovely rug."   
  
"Ever ridden a magic carpet?" asked Aladdin, smirking slightly.   
  
"No, never."   
  
"Ever slain a monster?"   
  
"Nope."   
  
"Why don't you and Jasmine take a ride on Carpet while I finish my dessert?" Aladdin suggested. "I'll be right out."   
  
*************************************  
  
"Doesn't this beat the times we rode the horses through the palace walls when we were kids?" Jasmine asked.   
  
Haywood was turning slightly green. "I need to stand up."   
  
"No, Hay! You might --" Too late. "Lose your balance."   
  
"Are you all right?" Aladdin asked.   
  
"Only thing hurt was my pride," replied the prince.   
  
"Good. Then let's go."   
  
**************************************  
  
Thirty minutes later, Carpet was whizzing about the borders of Tabat. Aladdin and Jasmine sat at the front, with Haywood and Abu behind them. Iago and Genie brought up the rear.   
  
Haywood clutched his stomach. "If man were meant to fly, he'd have been born with wings."   
  
A mischievous gleam flashed in Abu's eyes as he whispered in his master's ear.   
  
"He wants to go faster?" asked Aladdin. "All right, then. Mush, Carpet!"   
  
"Genie," began Iago. "I noticed you ate your pheasant with the little fork."  
  
"Your point being?"   
  
"That's the salad fork. You're supposed to eat the main course with the big fork."   
  
The genie morphed into a blue facsimile of Miss Manners. "Now, now, little birdie. Pheasant is the only exception to that rule."   
  
"Hey!" snapped Iago. "I used to live in the palace -- only perk of working with Jafar. Besides, before I hooked up with him, I traveled with a theatre troupe. One of the understudies -- Etta Quette -- always lectured on table manners. So if there was an exception to that fork rule, I'd know about it!"   
  
The magic carpet came down for a landing.   
  
Haywood's hair was standing on end. His face was no longer green, but a pasty white.   
  
Genie looked around. The streets of Nadidah were empty. There was a slight breeze, blowing loose sand over faint tracks.   
  
Iago opened a water keg. It was filled to the brim. "Hmm...maybe the whole city decided to move."   
  
Haywood walked toward his own palace. "Maybe we'll find something there. Leave for a few years, and the entire kingdom goes nuts."   
  
Jasmine shrugged. "It doesn't even look like anything happened. The city looks more deserted than destroyed."   
  
Genie morphed into Sherlock Holmes. "Something's afoot."   
  
The palace, like the metropolis surrounding it, was empty.   
  
Genie returned to normal, well, normal for him anyway. "Let's split up. The bird and I will search the kitchen."   
  
"You're still hungry?!" Iago squawked. "You ate three-fourths of the pheasant!"   
  
"I'll check the throne room," announced Haywood, going down one alabaster-lined hall.   
  
Aladdin and Jasmine shrugged and headed down another hall. Their footsteps echoed on the hardwood floor.   
  
Abu let out a warning squeak. The trio ducked into an alcove, and not a moment too soon. Two mamlucks passed by.   
  
In the throne room, Haywood glanced around.   
  
"Your highness?"   
  
The prince turned around. "Kadir?"   
  
"Yes," replied the Captain of the Guard.   
  
"What happened here? This place looks like a plague hit it."   
  
"In a weird way, it did. A couple of days ago -- just after your father's funeral, in fact -- an army of those dreadful zombies, the mamlucks, invaded the border and the palace. Everyone took one look and ran the other way. I'm the only one left. Look out!"   
  
Haywood felt himself being grabbed by behind. He struggled, but two mamlucks were gripping tight.   
  
"Well, look who decided to make a comeback!" Mozenrath, now in full robes and turban, stepped from behind a pillar.   
  
"Let me guess," began Haywood. "Mozenrath?"   
  
Kadir drew his sword, but four of the mamlucks pulled out theirs. The two holding Haywood released their grip to join the duel.   
  
"HELP!" yelled Haywood at the top of his lungs as he, the sorcerer, and the mamlucks vanished.   
  
Jasmine perked up at the scream. "That sounded like Haywood."   
  
Aladdin ran toward the throne room. "It came from this direction." He threw open the heavy doors.   
  
  
  
Kadir let out a deep sigh as he dropped his sword. "They're gone. Probably to Mozenrath's citadel."   
  
"Then that's where we're going," declared Jasmine as Genie and Iago joined them.   
  
"How are we going to get to the citadel without Genie and Carpet setting off those magic detectors?" wondered Aladdin out loud.   
  
Kadir pushed a button on the back of the ivory throne. A bookcase on the edge of the wall folded inward, revealing a darkened staircase. "I found this passage after the invasion. It's probably how the mamlucks got into the palace."   
  
Iago peered into the set of stairs. "A few years ago, I wouldn't go in there if you paid me. But now this conscience of mine just can't be ignored. Who's going first?"   
  
Jasmine lit a torch. "Mozenrath won't get away with this."   
  
TBC 


	3. Epilogue

By light of the flaming torch, the bunch descended the staircase and walked down a corridor. The light dimmed.   
  
"On second thought," Iago piped up. "Maybe we should turn back -- where it's safe!"   
  
"We're almost there," reassured Aladdin, feeling a wall. A panel slid open, revealing a rather dusty passage of the citadel. "Let's split up. We can cover more ground."   
  
Meanwhile, the sorcerer was in the dungeon. "So you've heard of me?"   
  
"No, not until this afternoon," answered Haywood from inside a cell. "Aladdin mentioned your name."   
  
Mozenrath smirked. "He warned you about me?"   
  
"I thought he was just pulling my leg. Why do you want Tabat anyway?"   
  
"I figured that if I couldn't conquer the Seven Deserts, I'd take them over little by little. Like a malignant growth. Nothing personal, Prince Haywood. Your land was just first on my itinerary. It was ripe for the taking, with its monarch recently deceased and the only heir to the throne presumed dead. Everyone except that foolish guard fled when they saw my mamlucks coming. They can run, but they can't hide. Besides, don't you know what's just beyond Tabat?"   
  
"The horizon?"   
  
"Agrabah! Agrabah is less than a mile off. Once I've captured the jewel of the desert city-states, the rest of the Seven Deserts are sure to follow." Mozenrath held out a papyrus scroll. "I have a proposal. You help me get rid of Aladdin and sign your kingdom over to me, and I'll let you go."   
  
"And if I refuse?"   
  
Cruel laughter. "Let me put this way. If Aladdin lives to see tomorrow, you won't."   
  
"Could I have a couple of hours to think it over?"   
  
"I see what you're trying to do. Stall for time so Aladdin and his friends can make a rescue. I'm not falling for it."   
  
"Why would Aladdin rescue me?"   
  
"You don't know him very well, do you?"   
  
"Considering I only met him today, I don't claim to. What do you have against him? He married the only girl I care about, but what did he ever do to you?"   
  
Mozenrath's face clouded over. "Well, there's the obvious one. He foils my schemes for conquest. He's cocky and obnoxious. Not to mention he seems to be the embodiment of everything I hate -- kindness, fairness, and mercy. Once I blasted a wall of the palace trying to nail the streetrat, and I ended up dangling several feet above the ground. He actually tried to help me. In retrospect, I should have pulled back instead of trying to zap him with my gauntlet, but c'est la vie. Therefore, I'll only give you two minutes."   
  
"Five!" argued the prince.   
  
"Two!"   
  
"Five!"   
  
"Fine!" The sorcerer overturned a miniature hourglass. "Five minutes -- and I'm counting." He added under his breath "Spoiled royal brat."   
  
"Hey, I'm a prince. I'm supposed to be bratty," replied the prince. "Though I've got to admit you've got me caught between a rock and a hard place."   
  
The rescue party had split into three pairs, two of which were either side of the dungeon walls.   
  
The third pair, Jasmine and Kadir, were walking through what appeared to be a study.   
  
The princess picked up a sheet of parchment from an ebony table. "Hmm...an order stating that kola nuts can't come within a mile of the border? Why would Mozenrath ban an exotic nut from his kingdom?"   
  
"Maybe he's allergic?" suggested the guard.   
  
At the same time, Aladdin pressed his ear to the dungeon wall to listen.   
  
"Just get me a quill pen, and I'll be happy to sign it," came Haywood's voice. "How do you propose we eliminate Aladdin?"   
  
Abu squeaked loudly.   
  
"I'm with you, Abu," whispered the adventurer. "Let's teach that traitor and Mozenrath a lesson." They moved toward the end of the hall.   
  
"That's it?" Mozenrath asked. "No lecture? Not even a cliche 'You'll never get away with this'? Are you sure you courted Princess Jasmine?"   
  
If I can keep feeding his ego, he might slip up, thought the prince. "Why bother? It's glaringly obvious you already have gotten away with it. Like you said, Aladdin won't get here in time to rescue me and I don't stand a chance against you on my own. You're too powerful and clever for that."   
  
"Well, well," replied the sorcerer. "This is a refreshing change of pace. I've never seen a would-be ruler who's actually realistic about his chances before." He unlocked the cell. " Be on the lookout."   
  
Meanwhile, Genie and Iago had also listened in on the conversation.   
  
"Sounds like that prince was playing double agent," the genie whispered to the parrot.   
  
"He's not as good as me, but Wizard Boy seems to be buying it," Iago hissed back.   
  
"Oh yeah! That thing with Malcho! If you don't win the Oscar for THAT performance, there is no justice!"   
  
Haywood had crossed the corridor and exited the citadel through one of the back doors.   
  
"Looking for someone?" Aladdin appeared behind him.   
  
Startled, the prince turned around. The stone flower fell from his robe. Haywood stepped back. "Aladdin! Oh--"   
  
"How could you lie to Jasmine?"   
  
"If I knew you were going to be this ungrateful--"   
  
"I'm ungrateful?! You're the one trying to kill me!" Aladdin stopped. The sand under Haywood's feet was black and soft. It looked almost liquid. "Quicksand!"   
  
"Quicksand?" Haywood looked down. He was beginning to sink into the small pit.   
  
"If anyone deserves that fate, it's you," Aladdin said simply. "But I can't leave anyone in a situation that dire. Stay calm. You'll sink slower. I'll get a rope."   
  
"I can't stay calm!" squealed the prince. "I don't know how much you heard, but I lied to Mozenrath."   
  
"And why should I believe you?"   
  
"I love Jasmine. If I laid a finger on you, she'd hate me until the end of the world."   
  
Genie poofed in and morphed into a crane, then tossed the cable.   
  
"What about the mamlucks?" Aladdin asked.   
  
"Bird-man's distracting them by hiding in the shadows and giving them orders in Mozenrath's voice."   
  
Haywood wiped the sweat off his forehead as he moved to solid ground.   
  
Genie held out a vial of fake blood. "Al, can you play injured?"   
  
Aladdin shrugged. "I can try. And when Mozenrath comes to get the final blow, I can jump him and knock off his gauntlet."  
  
"What kind of injury though?" Haywood asked.   
  
"I don't know," came a familiar voice. "Maybe a fake stab to the chest!" Mozenrath was a few feet away. He fired black-blue rays from his gauntlet at Aladdin, who dodged them.   
  
"Mozenrath?" came Jasmine's voice. She and Kadir had entered. "How are you? You look a little...sluggish."   
  
"You're trying to insult me," Mozenrath laughed. "How hilarious." He fired another blast, which sent Kadir into one of the Citadel's stone walls. "I haven't slept for the past three days!" He aimed at the princess. "I'm in no mood to play games!" Aladdin grabbed him from behind, and they began to struggle.   
  
"Sheesh, and we thought he was moody when he wasn't sleep deprived," commented Genie. He glanced at the paper in Jasmine's hand. "What's that?" A smile crossed his bearded face. "That's it?"   
  
"What's it?" Aladdin asked as he and Haywood struggled to keep Mozenrath down.   
  
A large mug of steaming brown liquid appeared out of thin air. Genie handed it to Jasmine. "Pour it down Mozenrotten's throat."   
  
Jasmine shrugged and obeyed.   
  
Mozenrath spat out the liquid. "What is..." he suddenly went limp.   
  
Iago flew in. "That wasn't poison, since a genie can't kill anyone."   
  
"It was quawah, better known as coffee," explained Genie. "Remember when I gave Abu some?"   
  
"How can we forget?" Iago squawked. "The monkey was bouncing off the walls!"   
  
Genie gestured to the unconscious sorcerer. "It has the opposite effect on anyone possessing magic. Last week, Eden and I were on a date and I accidentally drank a caffeinated soda. I fell asleep in her lap."   
  
"Zzzz..." Mozenrath snored loudly.   
  
"Sheesh, if he snores any louder, he'll wake up the mamlucks," commented Iago.   
  
"He didn't drink that much, though," observed Aladdin.   
  
"Well, add three days of no sleep," Genie shrugged.   
  
"I don't know about you guys," Kadir started. "But I don't want to be around when he wakes up." He picked up the sleeping form. "Let's take him inside."   
  
The others followed the guard, who set the snoring Mozenrath on a pile of pillows. The sorcerer didn't even stir.   
  
"He's out cold," Haywood commented to no one in particular.  
  
Genie draped a blanket over Mozenrath and zapped up a teddy bear. "A nice stuffed animal and an anti-magic blanket!"   
  
Xerxes flew in. "Master?!" He gripped the blanket in his teeth and tried to yank it off, but it was too heavy. "Curse you! Curse you!" He turned out.   
  
Aladdin and company had already flown off on Carpet.   
  
"Thanks for helping me take back my kingdom," sighed Haywood. "Sorry it didn't work out for us, Jazzy."   
  
"I'm sorry too, Hay," Jasmine replied. "But I've got a future with Aladdin."   
  
"I understand."   
  
"Would you like to take a tour of Agrabah?" suggested Aladdin. "A lot's changed since you last visited."   
  
"Sure. Why not?"   
  
****************************************  
  
Thirty minutes later, the gang was in the marketplace.   
  
Haywood was glancing at a news-scroll. "Odiferous to Celebrate Royal Couple's Anniversary with Four Thousand-Gallon Pot of Cheese. Ol' Uncouthma found a wife?"   
  
"Look out!" called Jasmine.   
  
"Huh--" Haywood felt someone bang into him. The ink bottle the stranger held tumbled to the ground and shattered, spilling ink on a carpet for sale.   
  
"My rug!" screeched the weaver. "Ink! On my beautiful creation!"   
  
Sadira flipped through her spellbook. "Hang on a sec. I'll make the ink disappear."   
  
"No problem," Haywood interjected, tossing several gold coins on the table. "Just send the bill to me."   
  
The carpet weaver picked up the coins. "I can just weave two more rugs with this. Thank you, sir."   
  
"Thanks," Sadira sighed. "Saved me a lot of trouble."   
  
"My pleasure."   
  
"You're not from around here, are you? It seems most of the gentlemen in Agrabah are taken."   
  
"I'd say the same for the ladies, if you're taken."   
  
"I'm single. Who are you?"   
  
"Prince Haywood of Tabat. You?"   
  
"I'm Sadira, Witch of the Sand."   
  
"What a lovely name. It suits you."   
  
"Oh, you're just saying that."   
  
"Yuck," muttered Iago.   
  
"Is that what you say to Thundra?" Jasmine teased.   
  
"Haywood and Sadira?" asked Aladdin. "Next thing we know, Abu will have a girlfriend."   
  
"Ick!" squeaked Abu.   
  
**************************************  
  
"OK, so one thing will remain constant," concluded Aladdin. "Abu's probably the most confirmed bachelor in the monkey population. And that's the whole crazy but true story."   
  
Cassim, Aladdin's father, laughed. "Amusing, really." He had returned from Greece. Once the King of Thieves, he and Iago had chosen to become adventurers-for-hire. Traveling and finding lost treasures satisfied their small flames of greed and was perfectly legitimate. It wouldn't have mattered anyway, Aladdin had joked. Razoul had gone on furlough the previous day.   
  
"It's too early to tell if Haywood and Sadira are meant to be together, but they seem to get along well. Besides, it wasn't like he was the first to want to marry Jasmine. Of course she didn't like Wazoo and Ayamaghoul, and she only used Uncouthma to make me jealous."   
  
"Guess you had to fight for your lady. My turn. On my way back from Athens, I bumped into this odd fellow. He screamed when he saw his chiton was covered in mud, then he saw me. The guy pulled his hair and started to yell your name over and over. I'm guessing he saw the family resemblance."   
  
"He didn't have a glass eye, did he?"   
  
"I'm not even going to ask."   
  
"That was Mechanicles. I'm sure Iago's told you about him."   
  
"The crazy Greek inventor?" Cassim laughed. "Aladdin, you've certainly inherited my tendency to make enemies." He reached over and tickled his son's ribs. "Let's see if you inherited anything else."   
  
Aladdin laughed. "Stop it, Dad!"   
  
Iago flew in. "I'm beginning to see the resemblance here."   
  
"Leave us alone, Iago," Cassim replied.   
  
"Yeah," agreed Aladdin. "Can't you see we're bonding?"   
  
The end. 


End file.
